Where Are Windows System Image Backups Stored?
Windows System Image backups land in a WindowsImageBackup folder at the root of the target drive.
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System Image Backup writes a block-level snapshot of your drives into a WindowsImageBackup folder at the target drive's root. It is an image, not a file copy, which surprises everyone expecting a folder of documents.
That format decides the recovery path. Bare-metal restores boot from recovery media and consume the whole image, while single-file rescue means mounting the VHDX files inside. Keep the folder intact and labeled; renaming it breaks the restore wizard's discovery.
Where Windows stores this, by platform
<BackupDrive>:\WindowsImageBackup
Block-level image of the backed-up drives. Restore through recovery media or mount the VHDX files inside for single files. Never rename the folder.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pull one file out of a system image?
Only by mounting the VHDX files inside it or restoring. The folder is a block-level image, not a file copy, so individual documents come out through the restore wizard or manual VHDX mounting.
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